According to suicide prevention expert, Dr. Christine Moutier, middle-aged White men account for 70% of deaths from suicide each year. Was doing stunts in air or lack of flying skills caused crash into Island. The Sheriffs Department added, Two military F 15 chased plane but was not involved in crash and confirmed, No passengers on plane.. Apparently someone stole a Horizon Q and is flying it over SeaTac. Sadly, he did not survive much longer at all. We were married one year later, and one month after that we opened a bakery which we successfully ran for 3 years, he explained on his website of his wife. Authorities said they did not believe he had a pilots license. Live aviation audio from the tower said, at one point, that dispatchers were urging Rich Russell to try to land that airplane safely and not hurt anybody while dealing with a snarl of stalled planes on the ground. In July 2022, video was released that showed Russells last moments going through security, taking off in the plane, and communicating with air traffic control. I'm listening through the archive of the radio chatter on the #seatac hijacking. Many people online compared the incident to 2018's incident with Richard Russell, calling Patterson "Sky King 2.0" or "Sky King 2. U.S. Airlines Are Editing Their Websites to Remove Taiwan's Name at China's Request, What America's Richest Ski Town's Handling of COVID-19 Shows. Richard Russell Plane Crash Video From Seattle, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. He had planned to seek a management position at Horizon Air or become a military officer after receiving his degree. Around 9 PM Pacific Time on August 10th, a 29-year-old man named Richard Russell, stole a Q400 airplane from Seattle Tacoma International Airport and went for a joyride into the abyss. [20], Videos and radio transmissions of the event were followed online, immediately sparking a meme dubbing Russell the "Sky King". Magazines, Digital Purportedly, when the arresting officers asked why he had risked his life with such a stunt, he said, A man cant just sit around., Later, he told the press, It was something I had to do. I hope they can make it through this. He said that airline employees go through background checks. Its burned quite a bit faster than I expected., He also said, Im gonna land it, in a safe kind of manner. Once I earn my Bachelors in Social Sciences I will either seek a management position where Im at now, or possibly join the military as an officer. Its not clear whether Russell, 29, had ever really flown a plane before. The perpetrator, 29-year-old Richard Russell, was a Horizon Air ground service agent with no piloting experience. More information as we learn more, Alaska Airlines wrote on Twitter around 9:20 p.m. on the west coast. The incident resulted in Russell losing his life when he crashed on Ketron Island in Puget Sound, but people on sites like 4chan refused to let his story end there. Acted alone he is 29 year old Pierce county residence. At another point, Richard Russell said, Im down to 2100; I started at like 30-something.. More recently, he listed his occupation as operations agent for Horizon Air at Sea-Tac since April 2018. A childhood friend remarked that Beebo was loved by everyone because he was kind and gentle to each person he met. Like a lot of bags. [20], On April 14, 2022, the FBI released 500 pages of previously classified documents related to the investigation. [36] He had been part of a tow team, which repositions aircraft on the airport apron, for about four years. Russell was well-liked by his co-workers, according to The Seattle Times. They are grounding all planes and waiting. Would love your thoughts, please comment. About. [45] The aircraft was worth $30million, all of which was paid under the company's insurance policy "with no deductibles. | Yeah I dont know what the burnageis like on a takeoff but yeah. "[22], The two F-15s attempted to direct the aircraft toward the Pacific Ocean, and did not fire at it. Richard "Beebo" Russell grew up in Alaska, but moved around and got married before he ended his life in Washington when he stole a passenger airplane and crashed it on a Puget Sound island. Rainier. Happy to read and share the best inspirational Sky King Richard Russell quotes, sayings and quotations on Wise Famous Quotes. Authorities said they dont think he had a pilots license and arent sure how he was able to take off, much less perform complicated tricks in the air like a barrel roll. At one point, Russell told a controller he had played a lot of video games. Happening right now. On Facebook, he had liked the Republican Party and conservative personalities like Sean Hannity and Ben Shapiro. Rainier. Lucas added, Theyve been in contact with the culprit. At one point during the exchange, Russell said he knew how to put the landing gear down but that I really wasnt planning on landing it. Russel also told the controller that he was just a broken man.. HiIm a ground service agent. Periodically, his voice cut into the dispatches. I hope it doesnt ruin your day. Up until then, he had seemed torn between life and death, at least considering the possibility of attempting a landing or ditching the aircraft in the sea. He played athletics in high school in Wasilla, Alaska. Ah, Rich, dont say stuff like that, the controller said. "[21] When an air traffic controller requested he land the plane after this maneuver, he said "I don't know. Hearing Mr. Russell speak during his final hour is an emotional experience. "[20], Rolling Stone magazine investigated the incident and reported in 2021 that some of Russell's friends and family believe he may have suffered brain injuries during his football years in high school and college. "Sky King" is a nickname given to 29-year-old ground service operator Richard Russell after he stole a Horizon Air Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 airliner from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) and died after crashing on Ketron Island in Puget Sound. He then boards an empty 70-seater plane and took off. Although he was born in Key West, Fla. he moved to Wasilla when he was 7, according to a website he made in 2017. A Port of Seattle official, Mike Pohl, said that Russell used an airport tractor to pull the parked plane onto a runway, which he would have known how to do, as part of his job in ground service was towing airplanes. Commercial aircraft are complex machines, he said. This is a Tribute Video to the late Richard Russell, better known as the Sky King. Tilden said that air traffic control was immediately aware that Russells take off in the aircraft was an unauthorized departure.. Full video form John Waldron on Facebook being shown on CNN #seatac pic.twitter.com/R98bl5uQBr. I think Im gonna try to do a barrel roll, and if that goes good, Im just gonna nose down and call it a night., Hannah Russell: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know. Ive got a lot of people that care about me. Someone plucked a bag off a conveyor belt. "[42] During his conversation with air traffic control, Russell said he "[knew] what [he was] doing a little bit" because he had experience playing video games. He sounds just like anyone else would if they suddenly found themselves in a similar situation. On social media, Richard Russell quickly became something of a folk hero, but people also felt sadness and empathy for his pain and his plight. [5], On September 3rd, 2022, it was reported that a 10-year Tupelo Aviation employee, Cory Wayne Patterson, stole a twin-engine plane from the Tupelo Regional Airport. Ah, minimum wage. Richard Russell was a suicidal airport ground services worker who stole an airplane from Sea-Tac . If he was bipolar and did that, then I dont have to worry about doing that, because Im not bipolar. That is something that they do. Magazines, stole a plane at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Or create a free account to access more articles, 'Beebo Was Loved By Everyone.' What happened from then, left a. Weird times. Updated Nov 30, 2022 at 4:37pm. Lee Goldberg. He is flying around the airport, he does not know how to land it. [46][47], N449QX, the aircraft involved in the incident, pictured 2 months before the crash. I will build you up again and you will be rebuilt. In the article, Russell described himself as laid back and easy going. You couldnt even tell it was a plane except for some of the bigger sections, like the wing section, western Pacific region chief Debra Eckrote said. I have flown from Sea-Tac many times, and know the landmarks Russell mentions well (Mt. Never actually wanted to hurt anyone. Audio released of Russells conversation with an air traffic controller suggests that he was struggling with mental health issues, but his motive for stealing the plane remains unclear. Below are some of the clips. He would have flipped overhead switches and set the propellers of the Bombardier Q400 spinning before he roared away from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. [39] He was an avid traveler and attended Washington State University Global Campus, majoring in social science. Russell wrote that he was pursuing his Bachelor of Social Sciences and hoped to work his way up to a management position at Horizon Air or to join the military or law enforcement. How Psychologically Conditioned Rats Are Defusing Landmines, The Innate Intelligence Observed in the Dying Process, 6 Signs That Youre Depressed and Ignoring It. Wish me luck! ? wrote one woman on Twitter, echoing the comments of many people who heard the audio. Normal operations at Sea-Tac Airport have resumed. At one point in the dramatic audio, Richard Russell told the tower he was losing an engine. "[38], Russell was born in Key West, Florida, and moved to Wasilla, Alaska, at the age of seven. Meanwhile, various tributes to Russell were uploaded to YouTube (shown below). In 1993, Lawnchair Larry Walters was named an At-Risk Survivor in the annual Darwin Awards. He was always smiling.. Preliminary info is that a mechanic from unknown airlines stole plane. Never really knew it, until now.". Theres something wrong with all of us. Never really knew it, until now., While Lawnchair Larry was mostly a figure of fun in our popular culture, many people responded to Rich Russells flight with a level of compassion unfamiliar in our social media age. Hannah and Beebo met at a Campus Crusade for Christ gathering at Southwestern Oregon Community College last year, the site reported. But is true.., Here is a statement from the family of Richard Russell, the Horizon Air employee who stole a plane, crashed it into Ketron Island.This is a complete shock to us. After taking off, an air traffic controller said, He needs some help controlling his aircraft. Russell responded: Nah, I mean, I dont need that much help. At one point, he says to the utterly professional air traffic controller, Im sorry about this. Seattle ground Horizon guy. He left no children. Beebos intent was not to harm anyone, and he was right in saying that there are so many people who loved him, Mathews said. [15] He said he was a "broken guy, got a few screws loose I guess. . [Im] just a broken guy, got a few screws loose, I guess. I love my parents and sister this isn't your fault. Im in the air right now. Russell took the Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 turboprop from the northeast corner of the airport, according to the Times. For Richard Russell. bit.ly/subAIRBOYD Various scanner recordings from liveatc.net and broadcastify.com SEA Ground, Tower, Departure/Approach. Now a family is left to reckon with tragedy, while strangers find grim inspiration in his final act. Or that he appeared to be a happy, regular guy. Phillip Hamilton. Sea-Tac Airport (@SeaTacAirport) August 11, 2018. She foiled their plans. On July 2, 1982, a 33-year-old truck driver named Larry Walters took flight in a patio chair attached to more than 40 helium-filled weather balloons. Hannah and Beebo met at a Campus Crusade for Christ gathering at Southwestern Oregon Community College last year, the site reported.